Top Ten Goals/Resolutions For 2014

This is a meme from The Broke and the Bookish. For info about the topics and how to participate, click here.

I don’t really do resolutions often, but I did come up with some interesting ones, and since I just finished writing my 2013 End of Year Book Survey, I’d like some things to report back on next year. So heeeeere we go.

1. Branch out and try new genres.
Last year, for the first time, I strayed from my regular fantasy/science-fiction/dystopia genres, and I read a lot of contemporaries. It was a huge success. Before I honestly thought contemporary wasn’t really for me, but I have been proven wrong. This year, I hope to try out historical fiction.

2. Finish series.
I hate that I have so many series on my TBR list. Some I’ve started but just dropped. I need to decide to go for it and finish it or just scratch it off the list. Some series that I hope to finish: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, The Grisha by Leigh Bardugo, Pivot Point by Kasie West, Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, Fairyland by Catherynne M. Valente, and Covenant by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I’m screwed because I have so many firsts in series on my shelves seducing me. I don’t want to have too many series at the same time.

3. Try a new book format: audiobooks.
I hear Christina talk all the time about how awesome audiobooks are, so I really want to try it out this year. I have no clue how it’ll go, since I easily tune out to things I’m listening to and I’m scared I’ll miss things that way…. but we’ll see.

4. Read more classics.
I have a kind of unwritten goal to each year read at least 1 classic. I failed in 2013. So I’m writing it down this time, and with book club having a special “classics month”, I should definitely be able to deliver on this.

5. Try more adult books.
I stick way too close to young adult, I find. After a while it just gets exhausting. Because I’m like, “Whee, another love triangle.” Not that all of YA is like that. But I should give adult books a shot.

6. Write reviews right after finishing the book.
The past few months I’ve been struggling with blogging because I just didn’t feel like writing reviews, then when I sat down to do it, I immediately had to write three or four in a row… It made it become a chore, and I didn’t remember too well what I wanted to say. NO MORE. Just take that half hour to write the review the same day. It’s really not that bad.

7. Go to BEA.
Okay, now I’m making it official. *exhales* I’m planning on going to BEA this year. I have budget. I have a place to stay. I have vacation days. I just need to clear it with work and book my plane ticket. Which I should be doing soon. *braces self for comment explosion*

8. Finish reformatting all posts.
Honestly, it will be a sigh of relief. I’m too OCD to leave even a single post in the ugly post-Blogger-Wordpress-move form. Also: a complete review archive. *sobs* The day I finish this, there will be a crazy dance party.

9. Find the right co-blogger/guest reviewer.
I see more and more people pop up with their co-bloggers and… well, it gets lonely. Also it would be less stressful. But I don’t want to just add anyone. I’m picky. So this is a conundrum. But I have an application page, so who knows.

That’s awesome that you’re planning on going to BEA! One day I want to go too. 🙂
I also have an unwritten rule to read at least one classic each year and up until now I’ve been keeping up with it. But I know it’s hard to pick up a classic, because I almost always pick the newer releases.
And yeah, finishing series. Starting a new series is always so much easier than finishing one. I have way too many series I still need to finish and I don’t think I’ll ever finish them all xD
Good luck with your goals this year!

Heh, I debated for a while if I should make it a goal to not be allowed to start a series until I finish another series – thereby keeping my series count equal. I might still try to sort of go for that, but I’m reading too many series that aren’t completed yet. I’ll keep that in mind for if that ever changes though.

It’s still so awesome that you might go to BEA. I really hope you can go, so you can tell us all about it 😀 One day I’m definitely going there myself, but this year it not the year 🙁 I always want to read more classics, but at the end of the year I always find out I haven’t read a single one of them.. I do like to try adults every now and then, because I used to read them all the time. I definitely recommend Juliet Mariller, especially since her books are more of a blend between Adult and YA 🙂 I also have the resolution to finish more series this year – that’s why I signed up for the series challenge.

Eek I’m so jealous of your BEA goal. I don’t think it can happen for me financially this year but I’m definitely shooting for 2015.
I’ve been very hesitant to try audiobooks, but I recently listened to the Ready Player One audiobook and liked it a lot. I also have a habit of tuning things out, so I was afraid that would happen again, but I was able to really concentrate on it. I listened to the first three hours while driving, so that was pretty easy, and then listened to the rest while I did things like cook/clean etc.–routine things so I could concentrate on the story.
I’ve been reading more adult books too, and I think it’s really helped the beginning of my 2014 reading. I read two recently, and am moving back into YA now. It was just a good palette cleanser to read something a little different.

Ooh I’ve been curious to try Ready Player One, so to hear that you liked it as an audiobook is really awesome 😀 I don’t care much for the cover, so I won’t mind not having it to physically add to my shelves. Hahaha, not gonna lie, that’s been keeping me from audiobooks too: not being able to display them. But so I’ll keep that one in mind 🙂

I’m with you – in 2012 I used adult books as palette cleansers, but in 2013 I switched to light, fluffy contemporaries for that. With work and everything it’s just so stressful to go into a heavy adult book. But I’ll give it a try again this year 🙂

I hope you can go to BEA in 2015! Sad it won’t happen this year though.

Ahh!!! Going to BEA also (as long as everything goes right)! Cant wait to see everyone there!
Also, seems like we have the same goal for finishing series, because I always drag them out, but not this year! Good luck with your goals!!

I was hoping to go to BEA this year, but it’s not to be. I want to try an audiobook this year as well. I’ve bought my first one. I’m just hoping I don’t tune out. It’s worth giving it a go though, I guess! I hope you achieve your goals!

The first 7 things on your list are things I’ve been planning on working on for myself this year too! And I’m making it to BEA this year too, but only for the last day… but that’s okay, it’s a start!! Hopefully next year I’ll be able to do the whole thing!! LOL I’m already setting goals for 2015 😛 good luck with all of yours!!

I’ve seen your excited tweets about attending BEA before, but I’m glad to see it’s now official for you! I’d never even heard of BEA before I started blogging but now it’s definitely an event I dream of attending at least once. Hopefully once I manage to find a full-time job I’ll be able to save up and make that dream come true! You’ll definitely have to report back and recap it all so we can live vicariously through you. 😉

I so so agree with reviewing right after reading! I really need to get to do that and not just postpone it cause I have another shiny book to read!

I’d love to go to BEA, but I know I won’t be able to. I’m actually thinking that my ideal bookish event would be YALLFEST, cause it’s in Charleston and I have a friend that lives nearby, and it happens in the fall and I might be going to US around that time… hopefully the timings will work for me!

#6 is on my list too. many of the others not really on my list but they are part of my goals through the many challenges i have once again added to increase my reading repertoire,
and ‘ complete review archive.’ that one is something i really need to work on..
new follower 🙂

AHH I HOPE YOU COME TO BEA! I would love to meet you there! *fingers crossed* I am a big fan of audiobooks but I know they are not for everyone – I hope they work for you though. It’s a great way to multitask too. 🙂 I need to do #6 but I will have to ease into it because right now my habits are to just jump from one book to the next and write the review when I get the chance. Good luck with all of your goals!

I’ve started my first audiobook, and I do like it. I just need to get in the habit of listening to it while I do chores. My first instinct is to go for music then, haha. And then I forget about the audiobook. Oh well. It’s a learning experience.

[…] that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year? Goodreads Reading Challenge: 128/100 Top Ten Goals/Resolutions for 2014: 7/10-ish (exceptions: writing reviews immediately, reformatting all posts, finding a co-blogger) […]